Basic (doll assortment)
The 'Basic' doll line is the first subline of the franchise-spanning 'Signature' line of dolls that features the characters in day-to-day, fit-for-school outfits. The 'Basic' line was released in the second half of 2010 and the characters featured are Frankie Stein, Draculaura, Clawdeen Wolf, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Deuce Gorgon, all of whom were released in Early July, 2010, and Ghoulia Yelps and Holt Hyde, whom were released in Mid October, 2010. Name Officially, the 'Signature' line and its early sublines are without names. The first of these sublines came to be call 'Basic' by the fandom. Then an entirely new subline was released a year later. Between the 2010 and 2011 'Signature' sets, five characters are shared. To be able to distinguish between them, the fandom thought up the name 'School's Out' for the second subseries, while reserving the term 'Basic' for the first subline and the three non-repeated characters of 'School's Out'. It has become practice among the fans to refer to any doll representing a character's default look as 'Basic', and identify repeat characters by the (sub)line's proper designation. Since this practice is inconsistent and therefor difficult to document, the defines 'Basic' solely as name of the first set of eight 'Signature' dolls. Assortment relations Since Holt Hyde and Ghoulia Yelps were the last 'Basic' dolls released, they got the short stick as far as promotion and shelf time go compared to the earlier released six. Because of this, the two dolls were re-released in the 'School's Out' subline, for which they received new boxes that were modified to the 'School's Out' design. Since the dolls and diaries remained the same, the considers the two dolls 'Basic' only. All of the 'Basic' accessories were exclusive to the line upon its release, but since a few have been reused by other lines. Logs Each 'Basic' doll comes with a diary, the character's profile, and an in-package quote. Fiction As the eight included characters's first non-themed outfits, the 'Basic' series does not have specific fiction to support. Nearly every piece of fiction to feature the characters has them wearing (or can be assumed to have them wearing) their 'Basic' fashion. The 'Basic' line received two commercials: one for the first six dolls and a modified one to promote the releases of Ghoulia and Holt. Notes * Due to a miscommunication on someone's part on Toysrus.com, a small amount of 'Basic' dolls were sold a month in advance of the supposed release date.Monster High Dolls at Confessions of a Doll Collector's Daughter * As the original 'Signature' subline, the 'Basic' line is what was the public's first meeting with Monster High. While the franchise did and the dolls sold exceptionally well, there were complaints about the characters 'Basic' outfits for being too skimpy. In particular, Clawdeen Wolf's 'Basic' look raised harsh criticism, standing in stark contrast with Clawdeen's popularity. Despite that Mattel has worked to improve the franchise, Monster High is still frequently decried and to prove their point critics still always haul up a photo of Clawdeen's 'Basic' doll. * There are two versions of the 'Basic' Clawdeen Wolf doll. The first and rarest is the version with 'normal' hands. The second and most common version sports clawed hands. * Clawdeen Wolf's stockphoto depicts the doll as it was before it was decided she'd be produced with molded ears. Originally, Clawdeen's ears were to be attached to a black headband, which is visible in the stockphoto. * Holt Hyde's stockphoto erroneously displays the sunglasses that actually come with Gloom Beach Jackson Jekyll. Gallery References Category:Signature Category:Basic